Remembering The Compassionate Grete Waitz

The late Grete Waitz will always be remembered as a compassionate competitor. Photo: The New York Times

The late Grete Waitz will always be remembered as a compassionate competitor. Photo: The New York Times

Grete’s husband continues to hear tributes being paid to his late wife.

The late Grete Waitz’s husband, Jack, continues to learn about his wife. Grete, who was a world-class marathoner and a pioneer in women’s running, died on April 19 at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer. The stories Jack hears are always filled with compassion.

“She met one guy in New York, in a hotel, and he had a boyfriend who was running the marathon, and Grete talked to the boyfriend and he was so surprised, and Grete sent him a note with a little training program,” Waitz recalled. “There’s a lot of people like that, just people that she met on the way.”

This weekend, Jack will fly to Grete’s beloved New York City with her brother, Jan Anderson, for a tribute to the late runner. There will be a private memorial on Friday. On Saturday, Jack, Jan, and a few male friends will be the first to run in the mini 10K, which is a famous race for women.